As a mother of three young children, worrying is as natural to me as breathing. I worry about my kids getting injured when playing sports or riding their electric scooters. And when they are somewhere I am not, like a field trip during summer camp or a men’s restroom, I worry that a stranger will hurt them or even worse, take them.

So I do what I can the best way I know how to try and ensure their safety in these situations. I make sure they always wear the necessary protective gear when playing, I talk to them about the dangers that strangers can pose to them. And I wait patiently outside the bathroom door ready to barge in without warning if I feel the process is taking even a second longer than I think it should. But the reality is, the stranger I fear, is not just at the park anymore or hanging out in public restrooms. He’s closer than that. These individuals have access to my sons each time he turns on his iPod Touch and opens an app that he thinks is nothing more than a fun social media forum. And while some who know me may think that I am just a little compulsive when it comes to surfing the web, I prefer to think of it as necessary training to keep up with my kids, and most importantly keeping them safe in the social media-saturated world they live. So, from one concerned mother to thousands of others, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about five of the most dangerous apps for kids.

• Yik Yak - This messaging app appeals to kids because it allows users to post comments anonymously without the need to create a profile or account that their parents can follow. The anonymous nature of the app makes kids think it is okay to share pictures or personal information that they don’t think will be connected to them. The frightening feature of this app is that it is location enabled and posts are accessible to anyone within a 1.5 mile radius. This feature provides ample opportunity for predators to make contact with children in their local area.
• Whisper - This app allows users to post secrets anonymously with other users in their geographic area. This is a dangerous yet appealing feature to children who may feel that their secrets are safer with strangers than with their family or friends. There have already been reported cases of ill-intentioned predators using this app to lure vulnerable children to isolated meeting areas.
• Snapchat - This app is attractive to kids since the images they post can only be viewed on the receiver’s screen for up to 10 seconds. And since we all know that most kids live in the moment, without much thought to long-term consequences, they typically don’t consider the fact that 10 seconds is ample time for someone to take a screenshot of their message, These types of messages have been the source of cyberbullying that often has more drastic results than mere hurt feelings.
• Ask.fm - This app is a social networking forum set up in a question and answer format that is very popular with tweens. Ask.fm became known to many parents around the country when it was referenced in the Florida bullying-suicide case where 12 year-old Rebecca Sedwick committed suicide as a result of 12 year-old and 14 year-old girls who bullied her. Parents should be particularly concerned with this site due to its failure to employ even the most basic child safety mechanisms or reporting protocols.
• Poof - This is an app that all parents should check their child’s device for, as it’s the app that hides other apps. All a child has to do is open Poof and select the apps they want to hide from parents. While this app is no longer available, it can still be used by anyone who had previously downloaded it.

These are just a few apps that law enforcement officers, psychiatrists and school counselors recommend that parents delete from their child’s smartphone or other electronic device. And as new apps are introduced into the market daily, it is imperative that we as parents remain aware of what exactly our kids are downloading at all times. Because gone are the days where simply friending your child on Facebook or following them on Instagram provides the protection needed in the social media-filled world our kids are growing up in. If you would like our readers to know about an app not mentioned that you think presents a danger to children, please leave a comment at the end of our blog page.

Guest blog written by Lissa Dorsey, Palm Beach Editor, Just Ask Boo.

http://blog.justaskboo.com/parents-beware-apps-to-watch-out-for/